The Nominees:
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
WHO WE THINK WILL WIN
Jessica: The Kids Are All Right
Alison: The Kids Are All Right
WHO WE WANT TO WIN
Jessica: The Kids Are All Right. First, I should probably note that I have not seen Another Year. I have seen the rest. I think The King’s Speech will make a good run at Best Picture, but I don’t think it will (or should) take this category. Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg did a fantastic job of portraying a modern, believable family. I heard an interview with Cholodenko on NPR’s Fresh Air where she said that in real life she has children by a sperm donor and Stuart Blumberg was a sperm donor in his younger days. The characters are funny, sensitive, and flawed (yet still likeable).
Alison: First, I haven’t even heard of Another Year, let alone seen it. I think The King’s Speech and The Fighter were two of the best movies of the year, but not sure they deserve to win for Best Screenplay. And while I liked the movie and agreed with what Jessica had to say about The Kids Are All Right, I still sort of want Inception to win. No, I wasn’t super attached to the characters, and yes the story was flawed (this has been the complaint I’ve heard most often), but it still took you on an amazing adventure. And I can’t imagine keeping track of different levels of dreams while writing this script. I applaud Christopher Nolan’s imagination and think the academy should too.